The expo in Novato included more than a dozen electric vehicles. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)

As Roberta Miller displayed her Tesla Model 3 outside Novato City Hall on Saturday, she had nothing but positive things to say.

“It is the future,” she said of her electric vehicle. “We’re going to have to get off fossil fuels.”

The 76-year-old San Rafael resident was one of more than a dozen people who brought out their Teslas, Chevy Bolts and BMW I3s for an electric vehicle expo organized by the city of Novato. The event was intended to educate people on the benefits of going electric.

“(Electric vehicle owners) will never have to visit a gas station again,” said Gretchen Schubeck, Novato’s sustainability coordinator. “These cars are zero emissions, so you’re not polluting the environment. You can drive with a clean conscious.”

At the first-of-its-kind event held by the city, more than 100 people viewed more than a dozen zero-emission cars on display, questioning the range per charge, and features of each vehicle.

Attendees made the rounds, checking out many of the electric vehicles available on today’s market, but no car was as popular as the two Tesla Model 3s on display.

The Tesla Model 3, said to travel up to 310 miles on a single charge, is the most affordable car in the luxury automaker’s all-electric lineup. Priced at $35,000 before incentives, it is popular among customers, with more than 450,000 pre-orders put in for the vehicle since the company began taking reservations on it in March 2016. The Fremont-based company has struggled meeting the demand and delayed its production targets several times.

David Lacey, 68, of Novato, said he attended the expo to get his first glimpse of the car. He said that although he thinks his next car will be a hybrid, he finds the fully-electric vehicle intriguing.

“I love the fact that the energy it consumes is a cleaner energy than what we consume in typical gas cars,” he said. “That I like a lot.”

Aaron Kahn, 36, received his Tesla Model 3 in November. The Larkspur resident, who also owns a Tesla Model X, said the Model 3 is great not only because is it electric.

“It drives like a sports car,” he said. “It’s amazing, very tight. The (Model) X and S have a premium smooth feel, they’re a little smoother. This is a little sportier feeling.”

Schubeck said the city hosted Saturday’s event as a way to promote zero-emission cars to the public. She said many people believe they cannot afford an electric vehicle because of the price, but she said they can be affordable. She said the cars are made less pricey with the rebates and tax credits that come with them.

“We really wanted to share with people information about the tax credit,” she said. “There’s a $7,500 (federal) tax credit when you buy an electric vehicle, and there’s a $2,500 rebate from the state of California. That’s $10,000 right there. And then you can also get a $500 rebate from (Pacific Gas and Electric) or MCE, depending on who your provider is for installing a charger at home.”

Advertisement

Schubeck said because so many people are leasing electric vehicles due to rapidly-changing technology, the vehicles eventually become more affordable when leases end. Vehicles once leased can be purchased for 20 percent off original list prices, she said.

The electric vehicle market made headlines in past days as Marin supervisors last week allocated $225,000 as part of an effort to create 40 new electric vehicle charging stations countywide with help from PG&E.

Also, Gov. Jerry Brown announced an executive order committing the state to a goal of having 5 million zero-emission cars on the road by 2030, an increase of his previous target of having 1.5 million electric vehicles on the road by 2025. The initiative includes a plan to spend $2.5 billion in new funding to encourage drivers to buy them.